(CNN) 鈥� At a ceremony in front of the iconic cascading fountain at Meridian Hill Park in Washington, DC, earlier this month, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and top US officials touted President Donald Trump鈥檚 efforts to make the city 鈥渟afe and beautiful.鈥�
But less than two weeks later, the historic park that served as Hegseth鈥檚 backdrop has become the latest President Donald Trump is in his to give the nation鈥檚 capital a facelift, as the water in the 13-basin fountain has turned into a murky, rust-orange hue.
The fountain had been devoid of water for seven years before the Trump administration repaired and reopened it in May in a $4 million that delighted residents. After the renovation, residents flocked to the park in the evenings, sitting on the steps bordering the fountain, having picnics, and reading books.
But this week, parkgoers observed a brown color overtaking the reservoirs.
鈥淚t looks like mud,鈥� said James Langan, a New York resident visiting DC.
The fixture at Meridian Hill Park is one of nine fountains being to service under Trump鈥檚 March 2025 executive order calling to make DC 鈥渟afe and beautiful鈥� coinciding with preparations for the nation鈥檚 250th anniversary. When CNN visited the nine fountains scattered across DC this week, only one appeared to still be inoperable, and two had brown-colored water.
Some residents and visitors said they welcomed running water at Meridian Hill Park, despite the coloring.
鈥淲henever I鈥檇 like come here before, I was kind of disappointed that the water was never on, and it was kind of like overrun with trash,鈥� Washington, DC, resident Jedi Sworobuk told CNN. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 nice to have, especially in the heat in the summer.鈥�
The Interior Department told CNN on Tuesday evening that the brown water at Meridian Hill Park is 鈥渟ediment as a result of the reopening of two water lines that had been out of service for some time,鈥� noting it expected the water to run clean in the next 24 to 36 hours.
A CNN crew observed workers cleaning the cascading basins on Wednesday, following social media buzz about the browning water.
On Saturday, the pools of water were still murky, but less orange.
The Interior Department did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday on the state of the Meridian Hill fountain, and on the fountains at the General Philip Sheridan statue in Sheridan Circle, which were inactive.
The fountain at Meridian Hill Park caught the attention of Alexandra McKenna, a London resident who traveled to DC and made the park a stop on her trip.
鈥淚t looks pretty gross,鈥� McKenna said, laughing.
McKenna pointed to the water at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, which has also generated headlines in recent weeks, adding, 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of a thing going on in Washington at the moment.鈥�
The Meridian Hill Park scramble comes after the Reflecting Pool saga dominated conversations in Washington. After Trump called for the pool鈥檚 renovation in April, the more than $14 million project has taken on a lifecycle of draining, painting, filling and peeling.
Trump alleged vandals gashed the pool鈥檚 lining. In recent weeks, at least three were charged with destruction of property after allegedly removing pieces of blue paint from the pool, and a former Olympian was on that allegation. The canoeist, David Hearn, pleaded not guilty.
During a May Cabinet meeting, Trump said most of the fountains were in final stages or fixed.
In his recent July Fourth address on the National Mall, Trump declared the city 鈥渟afe, gleaming, and beautiful again,鈥� though some beautification projects, like the Reflecting Pool, appear to be in progress.
The National Park Service work to restore and rehabilitate historic landscapes will occur in phases, noting that the public may experience closures or limited access at certain sites.
The-CNN-Wire
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